How an Outdoor Hospitality Franchise Blazed a New Trail with ICHRA

About this webinar

How an Outdoor Hospitality Franchise Blazed a New Trail with ICHRA

Join us for an insightful webinar featuring Molly Bell, VP of Human Resources of a third-generation family business that owns and operates KOA campgrounds franchises across Southern California, Northern Arizona, and the St. Louis area. The impact of COVID-19 on outdoor hospitality and the increased need for competitive employee benefits to retain talent prompted the company to look elsewhere for a benefits solution. Today, the franchise employs anywhere from 275 to 350 employees, due to the seasonal nature of the business.

The company had originally initiated a group health plan when the majority of their employees and business was still in California. Since then, they’ve expanded across state lines, compounding many of the problems with their group health plan. Some of the locations in Arizona were quite remote, so group health plans in those areas yielded limited access to quality healthcare for their employees. On top of that, participation was quite low. Year over year, they faced the continual cycle of not knowing if they’d qualify for their health plan at all and whether or not they could even afford it.

Their unique group health plan pain points include:

• Difficulty making a group health plan work across state lines
• Low participation and inconsistent enrollment
• Limited choices in certain markets

Molly will share how this outdoor hospitality business transitioned from a traditional group health insurance plan to an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA), addressing unique challenges faced by seasonal and remote employees. In addition to relieving the company of the uncertainty of qualifying for their group health plan annually along with reducing administrative burden, ICHRA has resulted in higher participation along with higher employee satisfaction, especially among the younger employees. The offering of tailored, personalized health plans and an abundance of choice was well received by their workforce. 

Whether you're a business owner or HR lead in the hospitality industry or an HR professional looking beyond the norms of group health insurance, this webinar will provide valuable insights into the practicalities and advantages of adopting ICHRA. Learn from real-world experiences along with the industry’s leading ICHRA experts to equip your business with the knowledge to enhance employee satisfaction and streamline benefits administration.

Key Takeaways:

• Assess the limitations of group health plans for hospitality companies as well as franchises
• Determine suitability of ICHRA for other franchise or hospitality owners 
• Learn about best practices for transitioning from a group health plan to an ICHRA

About KEI

Kampgrounds Enterprises, Inc. was founded in San Diego by Ted & Carol Bell when they started the San Diego KOA.

Today, Kampgrounds Enterprises, Inc. is a third-generation family business in the Outdoor Hospitality sector with a long history of owning and operating award-winning campgrounds. Today, Kampgrounds Enterprises, Inc. is led by President Mike Bell. He leads with immense knowledge and a history of world-class innovation with his 40+ years of experience. Mike’s children Josh Bell, Clint Bell, and Molly Bell Crawford continue in the strong tradition of innovation and excellence as they grow the business in both a number of locations and development of current properties. They have served on campground association boards, KOA franchise steering committees, and are active members of the outdoor hospitality community.